
Beatriz Elena Valencia
Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Liaison, City of Albuquerque; Deputy Director NM LULAC, LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens)
2026
Beatriz E. Valencia is a visionary leader and powerful advocate for underserved communities, boldly advancing equity and opportunity across government, nonprofit, and grassroots sectors. Serving as both the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Liaison for the City of Albuquerque and Deputy Director for New Mexico LULAC, she has built a reputation for turning evidence into action through transformative public initiatives. Her work includes implementing citywide language-access policies, launching targeted public engagement campaigns to counter polarization, and spearheading landmark resolutions that safeguard civil rights.
Building on this commitment to community safety, Beatriz directed Albuquerque’s participation in the Strong Cities Network Initiative for Preventing Hate and Targeted Violence from 2023 to 2025. Through this effort, she established innovative prevention models, elevated marginalized voices, and forged vital cross-sector partnerships to build local resilience against extremism. Recognized for this impact, she was invited in 2025 by Dr. Heidi Ellis of the Trauma and Community Resilience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and Braden Schrag of Polymath Solutions to co-lead a visioning session focused on building primary prevention strategies against hate-motivated violence in Albuquerque.
To further amplify her practical leadership with rigorous research, Beatriz is pursuing advanced public policy studies at Wharton University of Pennsylvania, bringing a unique perspective shaped by her foundational background in pharmaceutical chemistry and health economics. Grounded in research and driven by a strategic vision, her ongoing work continues to shape a more just, inclusive, and vibrant New Mexico.
This cannot be thought of as a conference or a summit. The stakes are simply too high and the data/conversation and methods to drive action more valuable/motivating than any gathering I have attended. I took more than 100 pages of notes and have shared them with my CBS News leadership team, anchors, producers, and correspondents. Nothing about this gathering was easy. The agony around this topic is real. But no one curious about it could ask for a more devoted, rational, or unflinching look into this dark but decipherable world.

